As many times as it takes
by Rachelsmiled
Summary: When Jack and Kim are separated, fate gives them another chance. Several more chances, as they can't seem to get it right. In different lives, falling for each other all over again, when will they ever get their happy ending? One shot-ish, AU-ish.
1. Chapter 1

Aloha! Ok, you know what, never mind. Welcome, to my new story! Please enjoy. Re uploaded because of errors. Second chapter is coming, but it's getting longer than I planned.

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I'll own kickin' it when tulips grow out of my ears.

"Jack..." Milton strode into the dojo with two cups of coffee and a box of cookies that Julie had baked with their daughter, three year old Maddy.  
"Hmm?" He turned around, stepping away from the pile of new trophies Jack's team had gotten during their last tournament. The excited teens had dumped their stuff and abandoned Jack to go celebrate at the new pizza place that had opened where Phil's falafel place had once stood. Jack still marvels at how he had stayed throughout the changes around him, Phil moving to Canada, Rudy winning the Seaford cat show and retiring, and mostly Kim going- no he mustn't think about that. But he had changed too. He was no longer the youthful skate rat with a hero complex. He was older, wiser and a sensei for others to look up too. He hadn't stayed here all this time too. He had been in Otai, for four lonely years after Kim left. He didn't mind the loneliness. He spent more time practicing. It made him better. At least, that's what he told himself.

The dojo was different too.  
The peeling paint replaced by a cheerful lime green hue, the expensive hi-tech equipment funded by their trophy money, and most of all, the extension built by knocking down the same wall that he had burst through all those years ago. Sunlight streamed through the window as the two men settled down to enjoy their early morning caffeine.  
"Hows Julie?"  
Milton shrugged.  
"Same old, same old. She saw Jerry's new girlfriend at the mall."  
"Samantha?"  
"No, the newer one." Jerry had changed to, growing to a man, instead if looking like a boy trying too hard. Now the girls were following _him_ around. It probably helped that he had a great job as a party starter at the coolest nightclub in town. The name really does explain the job well, he was paid a hefty price to do crazy things and just dance to get the partying mood started. Jerry was incredibly lucky. If it hadn't been for Kim all those years ago, he could have turned into a lowlife loser, doing drugs or something. It was impossible to avoid. Kim was everywhere, even though she was gone. Jack spent sleepless nights agonizing about the things gone wrong, no matter how much he tried to hide it, even from himself.  
"Jack... Let's go out tonight.. Maybe to Jerry's club?"  
He thought it over. A way to try and forget the regret and longing that bit at him, to dull the despair that shadowed his every smile or forced laugh. Sure then. Let's get drunk. Jack nodded.  
"Ok. See you tonight."

XXXXX

His body crashed against the side of the car. The alcohol had not helped at all. The emotions haunted him even more. Kim's beautiful face taunted him, a bitter smile etched on her features. This was a giant mistake. The smallest strains of pumping bass coming from the club made his head spin. Briefly he pondered if he was being a hypocrite to the philosophical teachings he taught his karate students. Great, he thought, add guilty to the list of emotions attacking him. Jack sloppily open the door and got in. Never did it occur to his drunken mind that it was probably bad idea to drive at his level of drunkenness. He jammed his keys in and slammed the door shut. Another bad idea. Jack's head reeled and he felt like hurling. Veering out of the parking lot, Jack barely noticed as he scraped against a concrete road block on the side of the street. He drove towards the general direction of his house. A good twenty miles over the speed limit, Jack was well beyond caring about anything other than the fleeting image of Kim's face.

Then suddenly there was noise, so much noise, there was bright lights in his eyes, tire were screeching he could hear scraping and fiberglass and metal crunching... Then it stopped, for the most part, but he was lying on glass and pavement. He could feel.. Liquid.. Warm liquid, pooling around his face. He was almost to tired to care. Sobbing. Faint. _Mom, no... _He used every last ounce of strength he has to stretch open his eyes to see the beautiful young girl, sitting on the ground in a tutu and sneakers. Shards of glass cut trough her tights, staining them red. Her shocked face glances at him. Blond hair, tears welling in her bright brown eyes. Splitting image of her. He couldn't hold his eyes open any longer. He fought but his eyelids crashed back together, and the darkness swallowed him.

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Was that too graphic? I hope not. Should I include deaths in the other lives or is that too depressing after they're separated? Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey people! Second chappie is up and running so read, review, follow, favorite... Anything.. Thanks to the two people that reviewed. Btw, this is so inaccurate. I have never seen Juilliard, I've never met a new yorker, im pretending that Juilliard teaches art too...**

**I will own Kickin' it when the sky rains orange juice and ginger ale in the Antarctic.**

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The lonely song drifted through the mist swirling across the still lake. If anyone was listening, they would have been struck to the core by the raw emotions that was weaved seamlessly to the melody. He could be playing it for millions of people, but instead he chose to share it with the animals by the pond. The rich sound of the clarinet reverbrated in the frosty morning air. After he finished, he carefully packs away his beloved clarinet. He turns and walks off the small dock. Scaling the slope back to his house, he wonders whether there would be frost in august anywhere other than the canadian rockies. Of course Jack's family farm was more in the pristine valleys but hey, it's still in the Rockies.  
Today was a big day for Jack. His future rested on the small performance he was giving. He could see the sun peeking over the hills and hear his brothers shouts as they loaded the truck for the trip to the city. He took a deep breath and followed the noise to the truck.

XXXXX

Only now does he realize what a complete hillbilly he must look like. Sitting on the back of a pickup truck, hay bales strewn around him. Thank goodness he didn't wear plaid today. Or any leather for that measure. The truck ground to a halt.  
"Bye bye bro. Go have fun with your geeky music friends."Jack elbowed his brother and grinned.  
"Have fun with Pepsi." Pepsi the dog had come down with a high fever, so to the vet they go. Racing up the steps two at a time, he pushed open the builing's giant glass door. Heading towards the exquisite sound of a piano being played, clarinet case in hand, Jack wondered to himself whether or not he was nervous. He should be prepared. All his teachers had said he was a prodigy, one had even literally sung praises about him. Before he scrummaged up an answer, he was at the thick forboding metal doors leading to the audition room. A tiny Asian girl flounced out of the room, smirk on her face. Jack took a long breath before stepping into the gray music hall.  
"Ah yes, our highly recommended Jack Anderson." ( I used Anderson because it's a different life so different name ) the balding man peered over his glasses to watch Jack assemble his instrument.  
"Mister Anderson, I don't see any sheet music.. What will you be playing for me today?" Jack shrugged.  
"Uh, don't know."  
"Oh, don't tell me, we have a composer today?!" Jack grinned. New yorkers were definitely weird.

"Well, whenever your ready." Okay now, breathe in and...

Jack was one with the music. It came from somewhere deep within him. It was tragic and beautiful at the same time. When he finished, the man did not move. He very slowly took off his glasses and said,

"Mister Anderson, welcome to Juilliard."

XXXXX

"...Other chromatic chords may be used, like the diminished seventh(made up of minor thirds piled on top of each other) or the Secondary dominant(the Dominant's Dominant – a kind of major version of chord II). ( A/N: quote wikipedia )the balding man, who was now identified as Mr. Dawson, continued his lecture on music theory. Almost everyone in the room was asleep, and if not, was texting on their phones. They didn't bother to hide it. Mr. Dawson didn't bother to call them out. Even the nerds were sluggish. Except for the two in the front. Jack was raptly listening and recording the lecture on his shiny new tablet which his parents gave him as a going away present. The gesture was nice, but Jack could barely find the time on it. Next to him was ginger-headed Milton, desperately scribbling notes. Every once in a while, a kid from the back would flick a spit ball at him, sniggering the whole time. The whole front row, apparently the nerd spot, would receive this treatment. However, the spitball kids took one look at Jack's leather jacket, and muscles gained from years of farm work, and decided to avoid him like the plaque.

Class ended and the students rushed out of the room. Jack took his time, carefully packing away his tablet, while waiting for Milton to stop scribbling. When the pair finally headed back out to campus, Milton was jabbering excitedly about music theory. Jack laughed at his geeky new friend.

"Jack, have you been listening to anything I just said?"

"Um, no comment." Milton wagged his finger at him.

"Then don't come begging when midterms come." Jack just smirked and headed towards the café where they spent most lunches.

Stepping inside, still chatting, they go up to the cashier.

"Mmm, I'll have a ham panini and a orange-"

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!" Jack and Milton whipped their heads around as the entire café went silent.

"I'm s-so, s-sorry man, I-I-I j-just, it w-was a accident..." a short pale boy trembled before the massive faux leather cover hunk of meat that was bullying him. Milton could see the gears turning in Jack's head.

"Don't! You're going to get yourself killed!" Milton hissed at him frantically.

"You idiot! I'm going to make you wish that you were never born-"

"Piss off loser!" all eyes turned to her. Jack was paralyzed. Wait.. Who was she? Why does her narrowed eyes make Jack want to laugh and cry at the same time? Jack shook his head, trying to clear it of the muddled thoughts.

"Go pick a fight with some one your own level of intelligence! But don't go fighting a hamster. They're probably smarter than you." his ugly face morphed into a frown.

"Um.."

"Apologize you imbecile! He didn't do anything wrong! You were the one who bumped into him!"

"Uh.."

"Go on!"

"Sorry?" the petrified pale boy nodded and scampered away. The chitter-chatter of the café started up again. Jack resumed ordering but the girl was permanently stuck on his mind.

XXXXX

( A/N I had this idea before I remember legal drinking age in the US is a lot higher. Another reason why Canada is awesome. But hey, America ain't bad either.. )

"WHOOOO!" Jack rolled his eyes as Jerry chugged another beer. Slamming the empty tankard down, he turned to Jack for a high-five. Jack just ignored him, sipping his Mai tai. He knew letting his new friends drag him to the new bar opening was probably a bad idea. Milton had gotten incredibly drunk from only one light beer. He was currently trying his luck with the girls, something which Jerry was now joining him in. Unsurprisingly, Jerry was having a little better luck. After all, I study dance at Juilliard was a lot more interesting than I study french horn at Juilliard. Jack was on his third Mai tai before they finally gave up. Then, of course, Jerry just had to dare Milton into doing something bad.

"Come on bro! Just live in the moment! Be a college student for once!"

"But I am! I always study and-"

"Not that kind of student!" Jack sighed and turned back to his friends.

"What now?" Milton glared at Jerry.

"This idiot wants me to say inappropriate things to Kim! I'm going to get my ears ripped off!"

"Kim?" Milton nodded. He pointed to the other side of the bar. Jack nearly fell off his seat when he saw it was the girl from the café. Her face looked so familiar.. Her beautiful eyes seemed to sparkle even in the dim lighting. Jack was mesmerized. Was he getting a crush? Jack almost laughed at the notion. In his small town in the valleys, he went to school with around only around 30 other people. Girls apparently found him mysterious and alluring but he couldn't care less. He wasn't very social. He was the runt of the family and was surrounded by enough brothers to satisfy any occasional need for friendship, and to supply him with a lifetime of constant hand me downs. He has had only one crush in his lifetime, when he was five, on the girl who worked in the town candy shop. Jack turned back to his friend's jabbering.

"Say it in French then!"

"No!"

"Chicken!"

"Noo!" Milton whined like a three year old.

"Then do it!"

"Mmm.. Fine." Milton jumped off the barstool and nervously sidled towards where Kim was sitting.

"Vous êtes très laid et imbecile." Milton said it almost as if he was asking her for the weather or somthing. He was ready to hop away when...

Kim turned to Milton with a poisonous smile, like a cat before it pounces on its prey.

"Oh dear, dear, stupid Milton. Do you not know that for the thirteen years of school before juilliard, I have been in French immersion for all of them? And that since grade eight, I have been spending my summers in Paris with my aunt? And finally, I have thirty family members living in Quebec?" Milton went pale. Of course being lighter than the color of milk already, he practically looked translucent.

"So translate this Milton, Pissez- vous morceau horrible de bouse de vache! La fois prochaine donnent du chic et ne prennent pas à des défis des dindes retardées qui ne réalisent pas que je peux décapiter ses parties du corps préférées!" it was here that Jack cleared his throat to try and save Milton from further harassment. Kim just transferred her withering glare to him, and continued her chastisement on Jack. "Et font pas le thnk votre ami prettyboy bel s vous parlant hors de celui-ci! Quels imbéciles tout à fait sans valeur complets!" she stormed off in a huff, but Jack couldn't help be amused. Holding back his laughter until he couldn't take it any longer.

"Milton, that is why you should never listen to Jerry." Milton shrugged. Jerry looked confused. As usual.

"What did she say?"

"Jerry's favorite body parts are getting decapitated, and she finks Jack is hot." Jerry rolled his eyes.

"I think you have it the other way around mistah!" Jerry tried to put a suave look on his face but this just caused Jack to snort in laughter.

"She called Jack a pretty boy. That means she finds him hot!" Jack tried to keep cool composure upon his face but inside his heart was racing. Taking a sip of his drink in a effort to calm down, his mind started going into overdrive. Was it possible? Did he have any chance? Maybe he should ask her out... Would that seem weird? Next to him Jerry just shrugged.

"Whatever. Don't think her boyfriend will be to happy." Jack nearly sprayed his sip of Mai tai over the scuffed bar counter.

"Wait, she has a boyfriend?"

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**Sorry for taking my time! I have a major project at school so it might be a while before chapter three! So after the cliffie, I'll continue it for a chapter or two. Reviews get updates! I don't care if its criticism or random stuff, you could write about pomegranates and I'd still update faster. If you have ideas tell me! Kk, I'm out.**


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